Vatican conference underscores universal issues of tourism industry

Published: 2004-07-16

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While Pope John Paul II was vacationing in the Italian Alps and long lines of tourists were waiting to clear security to get into St. Peter's Basilica, a Vatican office held an international meeting on tourism. Throughout July, Vatican employees and tourists were living out many of the ideas discussed at the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers' Sixth World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Tourism. The congress, held July 5-8 in Bangkok, Thailand, included talks about paid annual leave as a benefit or a right, the human need for rest and relaxation, the benefits of traveling abroad, the obligation to respect local laws and customs, and the responsibility of host communities to be welcoming.

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